Abstract 2133: In pursuit of MCL-1 inhibitors with improved therapeutic window for the treatment of hematological malignancies: Discovery of JNJ-4355
Authors: Frederik J. Rombouts, Lento William, Ingrid Velter, Ann Vos, Aldo Peschiulli, Reuillon Tristan, Maria Dominguez Blanco, Matthieu Jouffroy, Lisa McQueen, Helena Steyvers, Mariette Bekkers, Cristina Altrocchi, Beth Pietrak, Seong Joo Koo, Lawrence Szewczuk, David Walker, Kathryn Packman, Ruud Bueters, Petra Vinken, Amy Johnson, Ricardo Attar, Ulrike Philippar
Journal: Cancer Research (2022)

Abstract Appropriate control of cell death is a fundamental biological process which is frequently dysregulated during tumor development and therapeutic resistance. Apoptosis is a form of regulated cell death initiated by either the extracellular environment (extrinsic) or following internal cellular damage (intrinsic). It is controlled by the BCL-2 family which includes anti-apoptotic regulators like BCL-2, BCL-XL and MCL-1 that bind and sequester various pro-apoptotic BH3-only proteins (BIM, BAD, BID, NOXA, PUMA, etc.), and the pro-apoptotic effectors (BAK, BAX, etc.) responsible for mitochondrial pore formation and MOMP (mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization). MOMP results in intermembrane space protein release, leading to caspase activation in an irreversible path to programmed cell death. Of the anti-apoptotic regulators, MCL-1 is one of the most frequently and highly amplified genes in human cancers such as myeloid leukemia making it a compelling therapeutic target. Since BCL-2 proteins interact through protein-protein interactions, they have long been elusive targets. The success of selective BCL-2 protein inhibitor Venetoclax in the treatment of various hematological cancers, however spurred interest in MCL-1 as an oncology target. Using structure-based drug design, major breakthroughs were made in the development of MCL-1 inhibitors, with several candidates entering clinical studies in the past five years. JNJ-4355, a highly potent 1,4-indolyl macrocycle (MCL-1 Ki = 18 pM, Cell (MOLP8) AC50 = 8.7 nM) was optimized to address shortcomings from first generation MCL-1 inhibitors: it has improved physicochemical properties (CHI LogD7.4 = 2.35, EPSA = 151 Å2), resulting in greatly improved equilibrium solubility (3.14 mM in buffer pH 7) and reduced protein binding (99.93%). JNJ-4355 showed promising in vitro potency data in cancer cell lines and AML patient-derived samples (cell killing AC50 0.29-75 nM in 25/27 evaluable samples). In vivo MCL-1:BAK complex disruption was confirmed in a mouse MOLM13 (AML) xenograft. Efficacy was demonstrated in a mouse MOLP8 (multiple myeloma) xenograft resulting in complete tumor regression after a single IV dose of JNJ-4355. Citation Format: Frederik J. Rombouts, Lento William, Ingrid Velter, Ann Vos, Aldo Peschiulli, Reuillon Tristan, Maria Dominguez Blanco, Matthieu Jouffroy, Lisa McQueen, Helena Steyvers, Mariette Bekkers, Cristina Altrocchi, Beth Pietrak, Seong Joo Koo, Lawrence Szewczuk, David Walker, Kathryn Packman, Ruud Bueters, Petra Vinken, Amy Johnson, Ricardo Attar, Ulrike Philippar. In pursuit of MCL-1 inhibitors with improved therapeutic window for the treatment of hematological malignancies: Discovery of JNJ-4355 [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 2133.